Blinding Light
My eyes were dazzled. Licht shook off his hazy mind and sat up in bed. At the same time, excruciating pain spread through his entire body. Grimacing at the agony that felt like his flesh was being shredded, he glanced down to see the bandages he'd changed right before collapsing the night before already soaked red again.
Several days had already passed. As the girl had instructed, Licht had done nothing but lie still and rest. More precisely, he hadn't had the luxury to do anything else. The moment he moved, the wounds inflicted by holy power tore open. His mind wasn't sharp enough either. After one failed attempt that left him drenched in his own blood, he'd truly done nothing but lie there for most of the day.
He ate the three meals a day she brought him. Mostly low-salt porridge that wouldn't irritate his stomach. He couldn't even hold a spoon properly, so he had to let her feed him. But he wasn't embarrassed. When he came to his senses, she was already holding the bowl and spoon toward him. Licht meekly accepted it.
It was strange. She was a complete stranger, yet there was no sense of rejection. As if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"...Looks like I won't be moving for a while."
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Licht inwardly sighed as he examined his internal state. His circles were completely tangled. It was far worse than he'd thought on that first day when he'd dismissed it lightly. As days passed, he realized just how serious his condition was.
His utterly knotted circles. Rebuilding them from scratch would be much faster than starting over from nothing, but he had no idea how long it would take to untangle them and restore full normalcy. Forcing mana now might not just tangle them further—it could shatter them completely.
And my body's a mess too.
Licht carefully began unwrapping the bandages on his arm. His brows furrowed involuntarily each time he peeled away the crusted scabs. The various sword wounds marring his body hadn't vanished yet. At least they were gradually shrinking—that was a small mercy.
What worried him more was his circles than his body. His flesh would heal on its own in a few weeks, but his circles would likely take much longer.
If the Papal Court finds out...
He wouldn't be able to lift a finger and would die helplessly.
Why hasn't she reported me?
That was the biggest question nagging at him now. The convent was remote in the forest, but it was still within the Holy Kingdom. To Licht, it was right in the heart of enemy territory.
Even if they didn't know his exact identity, the convent surely realized he wasn't ordinary. Seven circles, wounds from an Executioner's blade, and the Ascension Sword. They might not know it was an Executioner, but inferring it was a holy knight of the kingdom wouldn't be hard.
Yet there was still no sign of anything.
If they'd reported to the Papal Court,
agents from the kingdom should have arrived by now. But in these several days approaching a week, nothing had happened.
Stella Evgenia.
The girl who'd carried him here after he collapsed in the midnight forest.
And the Saintess chosen by the Goddess of Light, Isteria.
He'd had a hunch the moment he first saw her. The platinum hair cascading to her waist and those vividly golden eyes—he'd heard of them even in his previous life.
They said anyone who beheld her face once would bow their head instinctively, overwhelmed by an aura of sanctity. There were even rumors that she was a human form sculpted by Isteria herself, the Goddess of Light. Even after her death—no, wait, stories of the fallen Saintess had persisted steadily. Licht had heard them many times.
Meeting her in person, though, brought not so much sanctity as an inexplicable comfort and familiarity.
Did she come here of her own accord? Or is there discord with the Papal Court?
Even setting that aside, there were too many incomprehensible things. Of all the places in the world, why end up in a convent of the Holy Kingdom? How had she found him in the dead of night? Why hadn't the convent reported him to the Papal Court yet?
"......"
No answers came. Feeling an inexplicable tightness in his chest, Licht gazed out the window. Nuns bustled about in the morning sunlight, apparently having just finished their meal. Accompanied by curious children.
...She said they're orphans.
From what she'd told him while bringing his meals every day, most of the children here were orphans. Or handed over by impoverished parents. Some were apprentice nuns, he'd heard. Children raised in a convent like this often grew up to become holy knights, priests, monks, or nuns themselves. Being in such a place naturally influenced them.
After watching the peaceful scene for a while, he turned toward the door. He'd sensed a familiar presence in the corridor beyond.
"Again...!"
By then, Licht had already unwound all the bandages from his body. She set aside the meal and fresh bandages for a moment.
"You can't just touch it on your own like that. I told you so many times..."
"......"
"Still, it's good that you're healing fast. I was really worried."
She wiped away the pus with a damp cloth, applied ointment, cleared the old bandages, and wrapped new ones. After meticulously checking several times, she placed the bowl on his lap and extended the spoon.
Licht silently accepted the porridge. It wasn't too hot, as if she'd let it cool beforehand.
During the meal, the girl chatted about a few things. Mostly stories about the children or happenings in the convent. Licht gave short replies now and then. It had been like this these past few days.
"Um, are you listening?"
"...I am."
Licht answered straightforwardly. He was in no state to be picky right now, badly injured as he was. Getting thrown out of the convent would leave him nowhere to go. The silver lining was that the Papal Court wouldn't track him down immediately. From the southern outskirts of Bailen, the capital, to the northwestern fringes of the Holy Kingdom—a week's carriage ride in one leap. Even with sacred relics, there were limits. Time was on his side, at least somewhat.
He answered her questions diligently. The girl— the Saintess before him—was the only person he knew in the convent and his sole window to the outside world.
Then, for the first time, he posed a question of his own.
"You said you found me not far from here."
"Yes, that's right."
"How did you find me at that late hour? Wandering the forest at midnight like that."
"Well..."
Licht stared at her intently. She didn't answer right away. After fidgeting with her lips for a moment, she spoke.
"I don't really know myself."
"You don't know?"
"I just... felt like I had to. I was sleeping, but this strange feeling woke me up, and before I knew it, I was outside. And there you were, collapsed in the middle of the forest."
"So you brought me here."
"Yes. Is that... weird?"
The girl tilted her head. Licht quietly lowered his gaze.
It was weird. Definitely weird. She'd said it was past midnight. When even beasts were asleep. When everyone in the convent should have been asleep—yet she'd gotten up alone and found him wandering the woods. Hard to call it coincidence.
Or perhaps a divine oracle. As the Saintess of Palenia, hearing the voice of the gods wouldn't be strange. Unlike the Pope elected by cardinals in conclave, the Saintess was chosen by Isteria herself. The title of the Goddess's proxy fit her better than the Pope, in some ways.
"...No."
Licht didn't deny the girl before him.
"It's not weird. Sorry. That was a pointless question."
One thing was certain: he owed her his life. She was his lifesaver. Licht never forgot a grudge—or a debt.
"No, it's fine. It was natural to be suspicious. Don't worry about it."
That's why he didn't press about how she'd found him or why the Saintess was staying in this remote place instead of the Papal Court in Ceres.
The girl smiled faintly and lifted the spoon again. They didn't speak again, as if by agreement, until he'd finished the last of the porridge.
Only after he'd emptied the bowl did she open her mouth once more.
"Oh, by the way."
"......?"
"The Abbess wants to see you."
"...The Abbess?"
"Yes. The one who runs this convent. She said to come once you're feeling better."
She added that he didn't need to push himself right now, then left the room.
Licht stared at the spot she'd vacated for a while before slowly rising.
***
Hyeris Convent. Located on the northwestern outskirts of the Palenia Holy Kingdom, it was a surprisingly livable place. The nuns were always positive, and smiles never left the children's faces. They seemed to lack for nothing materially either. The antique buildings alone attested to that.
Lost children and women seeking shelter—the Hyeris Convent embraced them all, anytime.
He didn't know if convents and monasteries in the Holy Kingdom always received such support, or if it was special because of the Saintess. But one thing was clear: they had plenty of leeway.
Licht, bandages wrapped snugly with a light shirt over them, left his room and walked the corridor. Passing nuns cast curious glances at the unfamiliar boy, but he ignored them.
It should be around here...
The building wasn't large, so he soon found the door he sought. After a couple of light knocks, a voice came from within after a brief pause.
"It's open. Come in."
Licht cautiously opened the door. The abbess's office. An elderly woman sat at the desk, reviewing documents. A long table and two sofas flanked it on either side.
Licht silently took a seat on one sofa. The abbess, having finished up, approached and sat opposite.
"I didn't expect you so soon."
"Better to meet early."
"How's your body?"
"Yes. Much improved."
"That's a relief."
The abbess smiled kindly. Wrinkles crinkled around her mouth in a long arc. At the sight, the faint wariness in Licht eased away. Even he, hardened by lies, could see the old woman before him genuinely cared.
"It's a good place to live, isn't it?"
"This place... you mean?"
"Yes. Far from the worldly bustle, perfect for recuperation. The children too, right?"
The abbess glanced aside. Through the office window lay the courtyard. A platinum-haired girl surrounded by countless children.
"Every time I see them smiling like that... I truly feel alive."
"......"
"The Saintess feels the same. She's been especially worried since bringing you and your brother here."
"You mean me?"
"Yes. She insisted on bringing your meals herself every day, even though I suggested sending one of the other children. Once she sets her mind to something, she never backs down, appearances notwithstanding..."
Affection filled the abbess's eyes as she gazed at the girl. It was the face of a parent watching her child.
"She's not someone who belongs in a remote place like this."
"......"
"I opposed it myself when she first came."
"Isn't there... discord with the Papal Court?"
"Of course not. The Saintess commands respect and reverence throughout the Holy Kingdom. She came here... purely of her own will. Even refusing her guard knight, Anima."
"Her own will."
"Yes. She wanted it herself. There must be internal intrigues in the Papal Court that aren't known outside."
The abbess smiled wryly.
"Isteria commanded us to shun all harmful desires... but humans don't seem to heed that. Even the cardinals who profess to be devout followers in service to Isteria."
Words that could cause a scandal if overheard. Yet the abbess spoke them without hesitation.
Silence fell for a time. Licht, staring at the table, finally spoke.
"About me."
"......"
"Don't you have questions?"
There must be plenty. Where he came from. How he'd woven seven circles. Who inflicted those holy power-laced sword wounds. What his sword and artifacts were.
"What are you talking about?"
But the abbess's response was nothing like he'd expected.
"Trivial things about you aren't important."
"...I'm serious."
"Good. I'm not one for jests either."
"Then."
"Brother."
The abbess met Licht's eyes.
"As a single believer serving Isteria, I couldn't abandon a lost lamb. Everyone has their circumstances."
But.
"Such trivialities aren't important. Everyone staying here has their own reasons. Children who've lost parents, nuns who needed a home."
"......"
"You too, brother. You have circumstances and secrets hard to share. But is that truly what matters? Where you're from, what you've been through—none of it. What matters is... you need a helping hand now, and I can provide it."
The abbess spoke in a gentle voice. Licht had no retort to her words.
"Stay as long as you're comfortable. The Saintess seems to be keeping an eye on you too."
"I..."
Until he restored his circles. Would it be all right to impose just that long? He swallowed the last part.
The abbess smiled with her eyes, as if she knew.
Licht silently turned his gaze to the window. The platinum-haired girl beamed radiantly amid the children.
Someday.
Someday, when he left this place.
Franz Evgenia.
He might kill the man—the girl's father and Pope of Palenia.
But for now, it's fine.
For now, it was enough.
A peaceful day passed like any other.